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Prestigious Mitacs Innovation Awards Rejoice Canada’s High Expertise for Breakthroughs in Well being, Meals, Trade, Water Therapy and Extra


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Sailun Tires

Eight Canadian innovators have been acknowledged for game-changing contributions throughout numerous fields.

Their work ranges from a first-of-its-kind distant ultrasound machine and a novel fungi-based therapeutic for neurodegenerative ailments, to a monitoring system that allows mine operators to ‘see’ inside tailings dams and a low-cost rainwater-powered disinfection resolution to ship clear water to rural areas.

The awards — introduced at an occasion on the Nationwide Arts Centre in Ottawa on November 19 — are offered by Mitacs, a number one innovation group in Canada that connects companies and researchers to drive competitiveness and productiveness in sectors reminiscent of digital know-how, synthetic intelligence, vitality, sustainable options, and superior manufacturing. The ceremony included 4 awards for Excellent Innovation in addition to particular person awards honouring the Inclusive Innovator of the Yr, Canadian Begin-Up Innovator of the Yr, Canadian Enterprise Innovator of the Yr, and the award for Excellent Analysis Management.

The Mitacs Innovation Awards have a good time Canada’s prime expertise — college students, professors and enterprises who’re driving analysis and improvement and a thriving Canadian financial system by way of their partnership with Mitacs. Mitacs packages are supported by funding from the Authorities of Canada and provincial and territorial governments throughout the nation.

The 2024 Mitacs Innovation Award winners are:

Dr. Timsy Bhando, a postdoctoral researcher within the Division of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster College, is incomes a Mitacs Innovation Award — Excellent Innovation for her cutting-edge work to develop new, pure medicine to enhance mind well being, together with the invention of a novel fungi compound that’s displaying therapeutic potential for treating neurodegenerative illness and melancholy. She is credited for locating KCB-100, a lead chemical compound with large potential in treating neurodegenerative (the decline of cells within the central nervous system) and psychiatric situations, which is being led by Vancouver-based Kapoose Creek Bio, a startup targeted on accelerating the invention and improvement of medication from nature.

Dr. Timsy Bhando

David Black, a College of British Columbia PhD scholar within the Division of Electrical and Computing Engineering, who’s incomes a Mitacs Innovation Award — Excellent Innovation for his groundbreaking work to develop a blended actuality, immersive surroundings distant ultrasound system that makes it simpler and extra inexpensive for Canadians to obtain ultrasound procedures with out having to journey far distances to a medical centre. His novel innovation features a compact tele-ultrasound system that permits a novice to carry out an ultrasound on a affected person whereas being guided by an professional sonographer or radiologist from a distant location.

David Black

Dr. Susanne Ouellet, a College of Calgary postdoctoral fellow within the Division of Earth, Vitality and Setting, who’s incomes a Mitacs Innovation Award — Excellent Innovation for her work to extend mine security by creating a complicated monitoring system that permits mine operators to ‘see’ how tailings dams are performing earlier than issues happen. The state-of-the-art monitoring resolution makes use of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) know-how, which turns industry-standard fibre optic cables right into a sequence of extremely delicate sensors able to detecting modifications in pressure, temperature and seismic disturbances in tailings dams. As soon as put in, the cable sends data in real-time so geotechnical engineers can study extra about the place and when issues are occurring.

Dr. Susanne Ouellet

Dr. Nazanin Vafaei, a College of Manitoba postdoctoral researcher on the Richardson Centre for Meals Know-how and Analysis, who’s incomes a Mitacs Innovation Award — Excellent Innovation for creating a sustainable technique for extracting high-quality oils and producing a solvent-free canola meal that doesn’t have any residual oil and is good to be used within the plant-based protein {industry}. Her strategy — which produces sustainable cooking oils and high-protein meals — is exclusive as a result of she’s making use of methods that up till now have solely been used for producing important oils or decaffeinated coffees in North America. Additionally they lead to a 99.9% oil yield, leaving a dry, high-quality plant protein behind that is a wonderful supply for meat options and different rising plant-based meals.

Dr. Nazanin Vafaei

Dr. Paul Onkundi Nyangaresi, an Environmental Engineering and Digital Science Technologist and postdoctoral researcher within the Civil Engineering Division on the College of British Columbia, who’s incomes the Mitacs Innovation Award — Inclusive Innovator of the Yr for creating a first-of-its-kind low-cost, easy water disinfection system fueled by collected rainwater that’s efficiently being utilized by college students and academics at a college in Kenya. Working with the area people, Dr. Nyangaresi devised a water therapy resolution that fits their tradition and lifestyle, whereas making use of his cutting-edge data of rising water therapy applied sciences reminiscent of ultraviolet mild emitting diode (UV-LED) disinfection. His work has potential functions inside Indigenous communities in Canada.

Dr. Paul Onkundi Nyangaresi

Marine Queffeulou, a Université Laval PhD scholar on the Infectious Illness Analysis Centre, is incomes the Mitacs Innovation Award — Canadian Begin-Up Innovator of the Yr for her excellent effort to launch and quickly scale Kalego Options, a start-up firm targeted on delivering next-generation plasma know-how to reinforce the traits of any flat floor or materials. This consists of an anti-fog therapy to maintain the lenses of endoscopes clear throughout medical procedures — a long-time {industry} problem. Queffeulou is being honoured as CEO of Kalego, an organization she co-founded with biomaterials professional Jacopo Profili. The corporate is now creating a easy, but everlasting, anti-fog coating for endoscopes and to unravel different industrial challenges.

Marine Queffeulou and lab workforce

Dr. Bishnu Acharya, Affiliate Professor on the College of Saskatchewan, is incomes the Mitacs Innovation Award — Excellent Analysis Management for his position in creating a cutting-edge resolution to an rising drawback: what to do with the entire canola meal that’s left over after oil extraction. Making use of his experience in areas of bioprocessing and conversion — strategies for turning waste into helpful end-products — Dr. Acharya is main a analysis effort to show canola meal right into a low-cost, nutrient-dense feed for microbes utilized in fermentation, the quickest rising section of the North American biotechnology sector aimed toward supporting new meals, drinks, medicines and different functions.

Dr. Bishnu Acharya

Thales Canada, world synthetic intelligence chief, is incomes the Mitacs Innovation Award — Canadian Enterprise Innovator of the Yr for its pioneering work to ship world-class AI options which are clear, comprehensible and moral whereas sustaining people because the principal decision-makers. By means of its CortAIx Labs in Canada, Thales is working to deliver augmented know-how (AI to help people reasonably than exchange them) to superior techniques for protection, safety, aerospace, cybersecurity and digital identification.

Jean-François Gagnon

In congratulating the winners, Mitacs’s CEO Dr. Stephen Lucas mirrored on the group’s lengthy historical past and confirmed observe file as a Canadian innovation chief. “Not solely do these awards acknowledge achievements of outstanding innovators throughout Canada, however additionally they spotlight the infinite potential for impression when artistic leaders work collectively,” Dr. Lucas mentioned.

“As Mitacs celebrates 25 years as a pacesetter in Canadian innovation, we reaffirm our perception that partnerships between analysis, enterprises, and expertise — like those we honour with the Mitacs Innovation Awards — are key to a profitable, affluent Canada,” he mentioned.

For extra details about the Mitacs awards and a full checklist of winners, go to www.mitacs.ca/newsroom.

About Mitacs

As Canada’s innovation group, Mitacs connects companies and researchers with unequalled entry to expertise, monetary assist, and the partnerships wanted to show concepts into impactful improvements. By means of distinctive collaborations, Mitacs is driving productiveness and positioning Canada as a worldwide innovation chief.

Mitacs is funded by the Authorities of Canada, the Authorities of Alberta, the Authorities of British Columbia, Analysis Manitoba, the Authorities of New Brunswick, the Authorities of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Authorities of Nova Scotia, the Authorities of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Authorities of Quebec, the Authorities of Saskatchewan, and the Authorities of Yukon.



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